Among the 70+ undergraduate academic programs offered at John Carroll University, one possible degree to be pursued is Sports Leadership. Named after Mike Cleary ‘56, the emeritus executive director of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics from 1965-2011. This major allows students to gain a lot of experiential learning and exploration in different aspects of the sports industry.
“I began as an accounting major in the Boler College of Business, but quickly realized that I wanted something more than a simple 9-5 desk job,” said Samantha Falbo ‘26.
“I have been an athlete my whole life and have loved watching all kinds of sports growing up.”
Falbo continued, “I also work in the Athletic Equipment Department here on campus which really helped open my eyes to the possibilities of jobs in the sports industry.”
“Since starting this on-campus job, I have grown a love and passion for working in sports, which is why I ultimately chose to major in Sports Leadership,” she said.
According to the JCU website, the Bachelor of Arts degree has two concentrations to choose from. The first is sports and athletic administration, which is aimed toward “students who hope to pursue management positions in collegiate athletics, sports franchises, elementary and collegiate athletics and professional sports franchises.”
The other focus is coaching and personnel development which “prepares students for careers in coaching and the wellness industry.” The career paths that can be pursued with this degree include “sports communications, marketing, coaching, fan engagement, sponsorship, youth recreation and sport, and collegiate and high school athletic administration.”
Bryan Beigie is the assistant wide receiver coach for the Blue Streaks. He teaches several classes within the Exercise Science and Sports Leadership Departments.
“This major is an interdisciplinary program that will allow each student to pursue a career of their choosing while gaining an incredible degree from faculty who are experts in their field,” he said.
“This is a major that allows for a student to enroll in the right classes that will allow them to be prepared for the specificity of the work they wish to pursue in the sports industry, as well as gain a comprehensive 10,000-foot view of all the Sports Leadership industry has to offer,” said Beigie.
The Sports Leadership program offers a multitude of classes that are also meant for students to explore the various areas of the athletic industry. For example, one of Falbo’s favorite courses is Foundations of Exercise Science and Sports Leadership, taught by Beigie.
“Every Friday of the semester, Professor Beigie brought in a guest speaker from a different Sports Leadership or Exercise Science field,” said Falbo.
“This aspect of class easily made it my favorite class because I was able to gain real world knowledge of all the different possible fields with the major I have and made me realize that this is the [career path] for me,” said Falbo.
JCU Sports Leadership students have found careers with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland Guardians, Greater Cleveland Sports Commission, Pittsburgh Pirates, Houston Texas, Los Angeles Chargers and Xavier Athletics.
Beigie states that there are alumni that “are doing incredible things in the sports industry,” which consist of Lainey Donalson ‘23 (Cleveland Cavaliers), Jennifer Follmer ‘24 (Cleveland Cavaliers), Reilly Haas ‘22 (Greater Cleveland Sports Commission), Ashley McCall ‘23 (Buffalo Bills), and Monica McKie ‘23 (Cleveland Browns).
Gregory Farnell, chair of the Exercise Science and Sports Leadership. He told The Carroll News that, “Even though there are approximately 85 undergraduate students who are currently Sports Leadership majors, the program is doing very well [and] growing in numbers each year. Our experiential learning opportunities and job placements continue to improve from year-to-year including many in professional sports.”
